Statistics: Part-time employment rises on year in Q1 2020
The number of part-time employees has risen in Estonia on year to the first quarter of 2020 (Q1 2020), state agency Statistics Estonia reports. Unemployment rose slightly during the same period. The Q1 2020 figures do not fully reflect the effects of the coronavirus emergency situation, however, since this was only declared less than three weeks before the period ended.
Labor force participation rate in Estonia was 71.7 percent, the employment rate was 68.1 percent, and the unemployment rate stood at 5 percent, Statistics Estonia says.
Eveli Voolens, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, says the number of employed persons stood at 670,300 in Q1 2020, 8,500 more than the same period in 2019.
"Full-time employment has not changed much year on year: 571,400 persons were employed full-time [in Q1 2020]. The number of part-time workers has grown, however. There were 98,800 of these," said Voolens.
An additional 6,900 persons were under-employed – defined as those who work part-time but seek additional work and would be available within two weeks – Statistics Estonia reports.
Unemployment slightly up on year
The number of unemployed persons in Q1 2020 was 35,000, slightly more than at the same time last year.
According to daily statistics from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (Töötukassa), registered unemployment started to increase at the end of March, and as of May 13, the rate of registered unemployment rate stood at 7.7 percent.
Statics Estonia amassed the data for the first quarter between January and March, meaning the impact of the emergency situation sparked by the coronavirus pandemic has not fully impacted the current data.
The emergency situation was declared on March 12 and is set to expire at midnight on Sunday, May 17.
The number of inactive persons on the labour market, meaning those who recently worked and who no longer are, but have not lost their jobs, was 278,900 in Q1 2020, having decreased by 7,900 year on year, the agency says.
The main reasons for inactivity were cited as retirement (86,200), study (70,100) and illness or disability (62,200).
See the distribution of 15–74-year-olds by employment status in the first quarter of 2020.
Over the long-term, 10-year perspective, the number of part-time employed has gradually risen, whereas the number of full-time employed rose from 2010-2017, plateauing thereafter (see graph).
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
